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Swami Ramdev, a popular Indian yogi, is conducting a yoga camp in L.A. promoting yoga and pranayam as a path to better health. In a recent radio interview on Saaz aur Awaaz (San Francisco) with Arun Chauhan, Swamiji explains his motivation.

“I cannot see anyone’s sorrow; I cannot bear to see tears in anyone’s eyes,” he says, “It is just like if anyone is suffering from pain in your family you cannot bear it. After taking Sanyaas the world is my family now.”

Swami Ramdev hesitates to compare one kind of yoga to another, “there is nothing like my og or someone else’s yoga. yoga is a part of Indian tradition, it is an ancient wisdom taken from our scriptures,” but also says that yoga taught in the west concentrates heavily on the physical (asanas) and too little on the meditative aspect of yoga, where he says much of the healing takes place.

“Yoga means samadhi, and it is meditation. Through my teachings I have put this bigger picture in front of people,” he says, “Since I know that yoga increases your self confidence, it expands your consciousness it is a tool for self discipline. So I have included 90 percent of Pranayam (breathing exercises) and meditation and ten percent of asanas in my teaching. So I see people being cured of these ailments when they do my yoga camps.”

His yoga camps are said to have alleviated symptoms or even cured asthma, arthritis, hypertension, and diabetes. He has reached out to millions through his camps and the media.

“People do not have patience for long waiting periods. Usually doing yoga means they have to wait for seven to eight months before they can see any changes.” Says Swami Ramdev, “But I have made them lose five to seven kilos weight in seven days, 99 percent people got their cholesterol within normal range, their hormone levels get stabilized, hemoglobin increased, those who have major health problems they see benefits within just seven days.”

The benefits, according to Swami Ramdev, are not strictly physical. He says poor health leads to a depressed mental state and low energy levels, which can be corrected.

“When they attend my camps they get rid of their ailments within a short span of seven days. They see instant relief. This builds their confidence that their diseases can be controlled and that restores their mental balance, too.” Says Swami Ramdev, “This brings tremendous positivity in them. You see, it is through their inner strength that they can get over their problems and I help them to build their inner strength. Our Indian yoga knowledge is based on inner human potential and once they get that they get tremendous mental peace, too.”

Swami Ramdev encourages everyone to look at yoga as a “complete science in itself,” and something that, “will take care of your mental balance. It will reach you to your inner peace and it will also help you create a balance in your family life, your professional or business life with increasing your efficiency and productivity.”

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